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UNION, NJ – Police have arrested the Union man who they say intentionally started a gas leak in his home prior to eviction by the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

The home, at 444 Stratford Road, is owned by Carole Siebenlist. According to a police source, Siebenlist was in Overlook Hospital for cancer treatment and passed away on Thursday. Earlier that day, Union County Sheriff officers arrived at the home to serve an eviction notice.

Siebenlist’s son, Steven, has been charged in the case. According to police officials, Sheriff’s officers had been working with Steven Siebenlist regarding the eviction and had contacted both Social Services and the Division of Aging in attempts to find alternative housing for both residents.

“We have been working with these residents since April, trying to locate alternative housing and social service needs, including conversations earlier this week,” said Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan. “That said, we are glad no one was hurt today.”

According to police officials, Siebenlist has been charged with causing or risking widespread injury or damage and aggravated arson. He was released on a summons to the care of his sister.

When officers arrived at the home Thursday morning to serve the eviction, no one answered the front door. When they went around to the back, they smelled a strong gas odor, noticed the gas meter gauge spinning, and heard a hissing sound.

Union police and fire departments arrived on the scene and firefighters turned off the gas from the outside meter and police made entry into the home. Union Police Director Daniel Zieser said police found five lit candles in the basement.

"We were extremely lucky today,” said Zieser. “The sheriff's officers, thank God, were in the right place at the right time. Combined with the swift response of the Fire Department, a tragedy was averted.”

ELIZABETH, NJ -- Just one day before the Union County Democratic Committee (UCDC) convention to elect a new County chair, Superior Court Judge Katherine Dupuis ruled in favor of State Senator Nick Scutari, who made the case that UCDC bylaws call for an open ballot.

Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, the acting Chair of the party, advocated the use of voting machines when committee members ...

ELIZABETH/UNION, NJ - Police are investigating a report of a possible sexual attack on a girl at a Union County park Tuesday evening.

According to a law enforcement source, police were called to the Phil Rizzuto County Park at the intersection of North and Morris Avenues at approximately 5:30 p.m. for a report of a missing 10-year old female.

On a social media post from the Union police, residents are being encouraged to report suspicious activity. “The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness encourages the public, law enforcement, first responders, as well as our private- and public-sector ...

SUMMIT, NJ - Overlook Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, recently earned the Perinatal Care Certification from The Joint Commission, a certification program which recognizes hospitals that are committed to achieving integrated, coordinated and patient-centered care for mothers and their newborns.

Established in 2015, Perinatal Care Certification is awarded for a two-year ...

SPRINGFIELD, NJ – The Square is a neighborhood near the Antioch Baptist Church in Springfield. For many years it was a predominantly African American neighborhood, but in recent decades it has diversified.

Not forgetting and gaining an appreciation of that Springfield community’s history and its people is what the event “Welcome to The Square: Celebrating ...

Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire on Monday, March 12 at 6:30 pm at the Union Public Library. Join us to celebrate Women's History Month with this live first person interpretation about the sociological, historical, and political context of the time period.

For decades, countless American women fought for the right to vote. But many others—like the ...

UNION, NJ - The first annual "Kids Just Want to be Kids" Easter Egg Hunt and Magic Show is scheduled for March 31 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The egg hunt will run from 10:30 - 11:30 and the magic show from 11:30 - 12:15.

This free community event will be held at the Golden Rule Lodge, 221 Oswald Place in Vauxhall. Parents are asked to bring an Easter basket for ...

UNION, NJ – Union High School senior Kiara Powell has been selected January’s Female Athlete of the Month, sponsored by Service Professionals.

Powell is a member of the co-ed bowling team. She is the Union County Individual Girls Champion, achieving first place for Group 4 North 2 Sectional Tournament. Powell rolled a 267, a high game in that tournament.

ELMIRA, NY - Kayla Douberley of Union was one of nine Elmira College students inducted into the Iota Iota Iota (or Triota) National Honor Society for Women's Studies during a ceremony recently held in Cowles Hall, Elmira College.

The induction ceremony recognized students who have excelled academically in gender and women's studies, and fostered feminist scholarship, promoted personal ...

RAHWAY, NJ - George Rayford, 38 of Rahway, has been arrested and charged with distributing crack cocaine that led to the death of three people and sent others to the hospital, it was announced Friday by Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan.

“Considering the high levels of purity found in illegal drugs being sold throughout Union County and New Jersey, as well as the potential ...

ELIZABETH, NJ – The 24th Annual Hoops to End Homelessness was another night of exciting basketball when six local teams paired off to compete to benefit the Elizabeth Coalition’s programs, in particular, its Operation Warm Heart Program, a winter shelter program for the chronically homeless.

The event took place Feb. 3 at the Dunn Sports Center on Pearl Street. Two teams of Union ...

All Union County women with military service – veterans, active duty and reserve – are invited to join “Boots 2 Heels,” a free event designed to foster wellness and connect women with resources and guidance for empowerment. Boots 2 Heels will be held on Saturday, February 24 at the Westfield Armory, located at 500 Rahway Avenue in Westfield.

Union County, NJ – Union County is offering a free yoga, meditation class and emotional wellness event for women titled, “International Women’s Day – The Time is Now,” on Friday evening, March 9, at Maskers Barn in the historic Deserted Village of Feltville. The event is the latest edition in a free series conducted through the Department of Human ...

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce, the 2018 Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic, scheduled for Saturday, June 16, 2018 from 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m. at Rahway River Park in Rahway. Admission is free to this inclusive celebration of family, equality, diversity and community.

“Standing firmly in support of equality, inclusion and unity, the Freeholder Board is ...

Columns

On this week’s episode of AtlantiCast, decade of excellence makes headlines, as Atlantic Health’s place on Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For List leads off the newest episode of AtlantiCast. Also on this week’s show, check out the newest “hybrid” operating room at Morristown Medical Center and find out how Atlantic Health is helping local ...

Breaking Atlantic Health System news on this week’s AtlantiCast! Plus, find out why Morristown Medical Center is one of the best hospitals in the nation when it comes to recovering from joint surgery, see the newest center for fighting brain cancer and an Atlantic Health System red-carpet premiere!

It's hard to go on a serious diet, one on which you expect to be successful and maintain a loss. Fortunately, in his new book Super Carb Diet, Bob Harper has given the weight watching world a sensible new diet plan to help achieve a healthy weight.

How does a writer of a beloved series like Harry Potter or Temperance Brennan break out of their readers' expectations and try something new? For J.K. Rowlings it was the novels penned under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith; books about a maimed and very flawed private detective with the unlikely name of Cormoran Strike. For Kathy Reichs, it is the ...

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, N.J. — Peter Nguyen, Millburn High School's head volleyball coach and a bookkeeper for the Millburn Township Board of Education, was arrested today and charged with one count of sexual contact with a 14-year old female who was a member of the Impact Volleyball Club. Nguyen also faces two second degree counts of endangering the welfare of a ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Two of the founding members of the Smithereens reunited at New Brunswick's Court Tavern on Saturday, Feb. 3, to pay tribute to the late Pat DiNizio, the band’s lead singer, who died in December.

The concert, titled “Blood & Roses: The Court Tavern Memorial Tribute to Pat DiNizio,” featured 15 of the alternative band’s hits from over the ...

Letters to the Editor

If we were to count the number of lives lost to violence, crime, mass shootings or terror attacks in the US this past year alone, clearly the sacredness of life has no value to the ruthless perpetrators, for all of them are doing the same thing; taking away a God given right from people, the right to exist.

The diverse religious communities in the US must stand strong in denouncing ...